Sheet feeder



Feb. 17, 1925.

E. W. BELLUCHE SHEET FEEDER Original i e J y 1 20 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTOR/VEV Feb. 7, 1925. 1,526,895

E. w. BELLUCHE SHEET FEEDER Original Filed y 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR E //11er W fie/lllc/le A TTOR/VE V Feb, 17, 1925. r 1,526,895

V E. W. BELLUCHE SHEET FEEDER Original Fil y 192.0 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR E/nmr W Bel/ache ATTORNEY Feb. 17, 1925.

E. W. BELLUCH E SHEET FEEDER Original Fil y 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR Elmer W 5 flue/1e A TTORNEY Patented Feb. 17, 194 .5.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER W. BELLUCHE, OF WAIERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T GEORGE E. SW'ART & COMPANY, INC., 01 NEW YORK, N- Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK;

SHEET FEEDER.

Original application filed 'July 28, 1920, Serial No. 389,576. Divided and this application filed November 1, 1923. Serial No. 672,074.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, ELMER W. BELLUCHE a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Vatertown, in the county of Middle- 6 sex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet Feeders, of which the following is a specification, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to machines for feeding separate sheets to a printing press or other like machine, andI have embodied the features of my improvements in a sheet feeder of the type known as continuous feeders in which a bank or pile of feathered or fanned out sheets of paper is placed upon an upper supply table and from there carried about a feeding drum located at the end of the feeder to a feed board where the leading ends of the sheets are acted on by mechanisms for further separating and advancing the individual sheets to a conveyor mechanism which carries such sheets, one by one to the printing press or other machine; My present application for patcut is a division of my United States Patent No. 1,478,374 imued December 25, 1923. The objects of my invention are, among other things, to embody in a feeder of this class certain novel features in the feedin mechanisms employed for separating an advancing the individual sheets, whereby the construction and operation are simphlied and made more effective.

A further object is to embody in my, feeder an improved mechanism for actuating the combing rolls which are used to comb out and separate the upper sheets from the bank of sheets lying on the feedboard while advancing the top sheet to the conveyors which carr the sheets successively to the press. y my improved devices I am able to put advantageous pressure on the combing rolls when lowered to the bank of sheets to comb to accommodate for banks of varying thickness due to unevenness in loading, and of different qualities in the paper stock; and also when the combing rolls are raised above the bank the same devices likewise serve to quicken the lifting action of such combi rolls and in maintainin same in elevate sition while also aotmg to reset the latching deview of the feeder embodying my improvements; 1

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of parts of the feeder broken away;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the mechanism to operate the combing rolls;

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing gear and cam mechanism for operating the raising and lowering mechanism for the combing rolls and also the resetting cams;

Figure 5 isa face view showing the parts illustrated in Fig. 4 in elevation;

Figures 6 to 11 inclusive are diagrammatic views showing the operation of various cams employed in the combing and re setting devices;

Figure 12 is an enlarged detail sectional view showing the assembly of parts in the main head of the feeder, the head being slidable on the feed-board;

Figure 13 is a detail fragmentary view showing the trip taken on the line 13-13 of Figure 12 but on the 0 site side of the feeder; and mm Figure 14 is an enlarged sectional end view of the cam mechanism shown more particularly in Figure 5.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throu bout the several fi es.

Re erring more particu arly to Figure 1, 24 designates the cylinder of a printing press or other machine and 25 is the feedboard mounted on the usual standards 26, the feed-board 25 serving to support the pile ofsheets when the press is fed by hand. At the rear end of the feed-board is the drum head 27 which carries the feeding drum 28 around which the bank of fanned out sheets is transferred by the tapes 29 mechanisms, and since these sets are dupli--' cates of each other in structure and action. I have only shown one set and a description of such set will suffice to explain the nature of my improvements in connection with such combing rolls.

Referring more particularly to Figures 1, 6 and 12, the combing roll 47 is carried by the arm 48 loosely mounted on a continuously-rotating shaft 49 to which the combing roll 47 is operatively connected by a train of gears 50 so that such combing roll 1 47 may be continuously rotated. The shaft 49 is rotated from the power shaft 51 which is actuated from a suitable source of power, for example, from the press through the bevel gears 52 and 53 shown in Figure 3. The upper side of the arm 48 carries the arm 54 connected to the arm 55 secured to the rock-sleeve 56 by thelink 57. The rocksleeve 56 encircles the tie shaft 58 extending across the machine and is secured to the side frames 35 of the main head 36 as shown in Figures 2 and 4. The ends of the rockslceve 56 are supported on the shaft 58 by the bushings 59, only one being shown in Figure 4. Secured to the rock sleeve 56 is the toggle arm 60 pivoted to the other tog gle arm 61, the outer end of which arm 61 loosely passes through the hollow block 62 formed in the end of the stationary bracket 63 hung on the shaft 64 secured to the side frame 35. Encircling the arm 61 is the coil spring 65 held under compression between the block 62 by the adjustable screw block 66 on the arm 61 as shown in Figure 12.

Motion is imparted to the rock-sleeve 56 to raise and lower the combing roll 47 through the arms 54 and 55 and link 57 by the action of the toggle arms 60 and 61 passing over the center from the upper position shown in Figure 12 when the combing roll is Powered on the bank of sheets to the lower position shown in Figure 6 when the combing roll 47 is raised, by the following mechanism which is shown in part in F igures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 12. Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the end of the rock-sleeve 56 has the rock arm 67 mounted thereon and this arm 67 carries the pawl 68 which is constantly being forced into its lowered engaging position with the continuously rotating ratchet 69 by the coil spring 70 but is held therefrom by devices hereinafter to be described. 'It will, of course, be understood that such devices are duplicated on the other'side of the machine. The ratchet 69 is secured to the gear 71 journalled on the shaft 58 by the pin 72, and is rotated through the gear 73 secured to the constantly rotating cam shaft 74 (shown in Figure 2). Motion is imparted to the shaft 74 by the cam gear 7 5, idler gear 76 and pinion 77 secured to the comlbing roll shaft 49 as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

Referring to Figures 7, 8, 12 and 13, the outer end of the pawl 68 carries the roller 78 at one side, such roller being adapted to be engaged by the cam face 79 of the upper curved end 80 of the latch lever 81 pivoted at 82 to hold the pawl 68 out of engagement with its ratchet 69 as shown in Figure 14 when the combing roll 47 is lowered on the bank as shown in Figure 12. The upper end 80 carries the cam roller 83 which is engaged by the cam 84 secured to the gear 71 (see Fig. 4), this cam 84 being suitably timed to raise the cam face 79 to keep the pawl 68 out of en agement with the ratchet 69 while the togg e arms are being broken over center to lower the combing roll. The roll 85 located between the ratchet 69 and cam 84 prevents the latch lever from contacting with the rotating cam 84. At its lower end the latch lever 81 carries the latch block 86 which is designed to engage with the latch 87 mounted on the collar 88 secured to the oscillating shaft 89 journalled in the bracket 90 mounted on the tie rod 91 secured to the side frames 35 as shown in Figure 18. The shaft 89 has the trip finger 93 adjustably secured thereon by the nut 94, the lower end of the finger '93 being preferably fork-shaped with the ends 95 passing between suitable longitudinal slots 96 formed in the ton cs 97 secured to the feed-board 25 and slightly elevated above the plane of the feed-board; the .top rod 98 is arranged above the tongues 97 such rod being attached to the bracket 99 adjustably secured to the rod 91, as shown in Figure 12, and serving to guide the leading edges of the advancing sheets against the trip finger 93. In Figure 12 I have shown the latch 87 in engagement with the latch block 86 and the combing roll lowered with the rollers 78 riding on middle portion .of the cam face 79 and the pawl 68 held out of engagement with the ratchet 69; in Figures 6, 7 and 14, I have illustrated the latch engagement as broken by the sheet (shown in dotted lines in Figure 7) striking the finger 93 and lowering the latch 87 out of engagement with the latch block 86, the pawl 68 causing latch lever 81 to swing to carry cam face 79 to the right and from under the pawl roller 78 which is lowered whereby the pawl 68 is pressed downwardly by the spring 70. The pawl 68 at once engages with the teeth of the ratchet 69 which is continuously rotated as hereinbefore described in a clockwise direction. This ratchet and pawl engagement shifts the rock-sleeve 56 tothe right thereby causing the toggle arms 60 and 61 to be raised and broken over center from the position shown in Figure 12 to that shown in Figure 6, the spring 65 accelerating the raising of the com'bing roll 47 and the awl 68 is thereupon disengaged and lifted rom the ratchet 69 by the roller 78 riding up on the hi h part 101 of the cam face'79 of the latch ever 81. l

The mechanism for lifting the trip-finger 93 and resetting the latch after the top sheet has been advanced beyond the zone of the trip finger 93 and the combing roll is lifted is shown in partin Figures 6, 9, 10, 11 and 12, and comprises the cam arm 102 mounted on the rock-sleeve 56, the arm 102 being oscillated by the rock lever 103 connected to the arm 102 by the link 104. The other end 105 of the rock lever 103 carries the cam roller 106 which engages With-the constantlv rotating cam 107 mounted on the cam shaft 74. When the roller 106 is in contact with the dwell of the cam 107 as shown in Figure 19, the cam arm 102 presses on the roller 108 carried by the arm 109 mounted on the collar 110 which carries the spring arm 111. The depending arm 112 passes below and to the leftof the trip bar 100 as shown in Figures 7 and 9, and thereby lifts the trip finger out of range of the passing sheet as shown in dotted lines in Figure 7, the latch 87 being depressed to clear the latch block 86 when the cam 84 forces the upper end 80 of the latch lever 81 to the left (Figs. 7 and 8) thereby carrying the latch block 86 into position for engagement with the latch 87.

When the cam roller 106 passes over the high part 113 formed in the cam 107 this roller 106 is forced against the outer surface 114 of the face cam which swings the rock arm 67 to the left thereby moving the cam arm 102 out of engagement with the roller 108 and the spring 115 raises the arm 109 against the stop 116 which allows the finger 93 to resume its lower osition while resetting the latch, and simultaneously causes the pawl roller 78 to ride down on the cam face 79 out of engagement with the ratchet 69.

By the foregoing mechanisms the combing roll is accurately controlled in all parts of its cycle while in this cycle of operation for the combing rolls I have embodied a positive mechanism for resetting the latch while the combing roll is being lowered into engagement of the bank of sheets when the rock sleeve 56 rotates in an anti-clockwise direction by the cam-actuated mechanism shown more particularly in Figures 10 and vantageous pressure on the combing rolls when lowered on the bank as in Figure 12.

After the sheet has been combed and separated from the bank and passed over the slotted tongues 97 it is carried by an su table gripper conveyor mechanism which seizes the leading edges of the sheets and conveys them forwardly. against the usual front stops until taken by the grippers on the cylinder 24 of the press or other like machine. A convenient form of such conveyor mechanism is that shown and described in my said United States Patent No. 1,478,374 issued December 25, 1923.

It will be understood that the sheet-feeder herein shown and described is a preferred embodiment of mv invention and that the same may be in oils details without departing from the principle and scope of my invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a sheet-feeder, a combing roll, means to raise and lower said roll upon banks of varying thickness, and a single means coacting with said raising and lowermg means to exert pressure on the bank after the roll is lowered and to accelerate its movement when the roll is raised.

2. In a sheet-feeder, a combing roll,

means to raise and lower said roll, a reciprocating pawl connected to said raising and lowering means, a rotary ratchet to engage w th said pawl to inaugurate the action of sa d means to operate the combing roll when sa1d pawl engages said ratchet.

3. In a sheet-feeder, a combing roll, means to raise and lower said roll comprisng a spring actuated toggle, a reciprocatmg pawl connected to said raising and lowering means, a rotary ratchet to engage with said pawl to inaugurate the action of sa1d means to operate the combing roll when said pawl engages said ratchet, and means tothereafter disengage the pawl.

4. In a sheeteeder, a combing 'roll, means to raise and lower same on banks of varyin thickness comprising a spring presse toggle, and means to inaugurate the throw of the toggle over center in one direction to exert pressure on the bank and sheet controlled means to inaugurate the throw of the toggle in the other direction to accelerate the raising of the combing roll.

' 5. In a sheet-feeder, a combing. roll, means to raise and lower same on banks of varyin thickness comprising a spring presse toggle, and means controlled by a.

bank and in the other direction to accelerate the raising of the combing roll, and means for raising and lowerin i said trip in timed relation with said combing roll;

6. In a sheet-feeder, a combing roll, means to raise and lower same comprising a spring-pressed toggle. a reciprocating pawl connected with said toggle, a rotary ratchet to engage with said pawl to inaugurate the movement of the toggle, a sheet-controlled latching-device to enga 0 said pawl with said ratchet to throw t e toggle over center to accelerate the raising of the combing roll, and means for disengaging the pawl from the ratchet when the combing roll has been fully raised.

7. In a sheet-feeder, a combing roll, means to raise and lower same comprising a spring-pressed toggle, a reciprocating pawl connected with said toggle, a rotary ratchet to engage with said pawl to inaugurate the movement of the toggle, a sheet-controlled latching-device to engage said pawl with said ratchet to throw the toggle over center to accelerate the raising of the combing roll, means for disengaging the pawl from the ratchet when the combing roll has been fully raised, and means to reset said latching-device.

8. In a sheet-feeder, a combing roll, means to raise and lower same comprising a spring-pressed toggle. a reciprocating pawl connected with said toggle, a rotary ratchet to engage with said pawl to inaugurate the movement of the toggle, a sheet-controlled latching-device to engage said pawl with said ratchet to throw the toggle over center to accelerate the raising of the combing roll, means for disengaging the pawl from the ratchet when the combing roll has been fully raised, and means toreset said latching device during the lowering of the combing roll.

S). In a sheet-feeder, a combing roll, means to raise and lower same comprising a spring-pressed toggle, a ratchet and pawl device controlled by a sheet-latching device to inaugurate the action of the toggle and separate means to hold the awl out of the ratchet while resetting said atching device.

10. In a sheet-feeder, a combing roll, means to raise and lower same on banks of varying thickness comprising a springpressed toggle, and cam-actuated means to inaugurate the throw of the toggle over center-to exert pressure on the bank.

11. In a sheet-feeder, a combing roll, means to raise and lower same on banks of varying thickness comprising a springpressed toggle, a sheet-actuated latching device to inaugurate the throw of the toggle over center to accelerate the raising of the combing roll, and cam-actuated means to inaugurate the throw of the toggle in an opposite direction over center to exert pressure on the bank.

12. In a sheet-feeder, a combing roll, means to raise and lower same on banks of varying thickness comprising a springpressed toggle, a sheet-actuated latching device to throw the toggle over center to accelerate the raising of the combing roll, cam-actuated means to throw the toggle over center to exert pressure on the bank and means for resetting the latching device.

ELMER IV. BELLUCHE. 

